Global Survey Shows Race to Decarbonization is on: Johnson Controls finds Delivering Growth and Competitive Advantage are Main Drivers for Companies to Commit to Net Zero

Survey shows the urgency with a 72 percent of respondents identifying sustainabilityasanincreasingpriorityoverthepasttwoyears

Overwhelming majority of 2,348 global senior sustainability leaders surveyed in 25countriesacrosstheglobeareinvestingincleaner andmoreenergy efficientbuildings

Top three hurdles for customers today relate to the challenge what to measure andhowtotrack their carbonfootprints effectively

SINGAPORE,Dec. 2,2021 -- Johnson Controls(NYSE: JCI),the global leader for smart,healthy and sustainable buildings,today released the results of a global study to evaluate progress sustainability-focused companies have made in pursuing their goals,showing that sustainability is nowthe top global business investment priority and that the overwhelming majority of companies see clearcompetitiveadvantagefromtheirsustainabilityfocusandthe goalof achievingnetzerocarbon.

Results from a series of interviews and an online survey conducted by Forrester Consulting,commissioned by and developed in collaboration with Johnson Controls,found that to accelerate decarbonization efforts,companies must align with stakeholder demands,collaborate with partners on transparent sustainability roadmaps and effectively measure the progress of sustainability initiatives.

"The survey clearly shows that business leaders see sustainability as the number one business priority and that increasing investment in sustainability initiatives to improve business efficiency,reduce harmful environmental impacts and address urgent climate challenges,is top of mind," said Katie McGinty,vice president and chief sustainability and external relations officer at Johnson Controls. "We also see a clear trend of customer demand for unique service and partnership models that allow them to focus on their core business while we drive customized,scalable steps for planning,execution,financing and reporting for their sustainability journeys."

In October 2021,2,348 senior sustainability strategy leaders across 25 countries and 19 industries were surveyed about their top business priorities and sustainability strategies over the next 12 months. Key takeaways from the study include:

Sustainabilitymaturitydeliverscompetitiveadvantage

More organizations are realizing that the future of business is inextricably bound to sustainability,withits importance continuing to increase. 72 percent of respondents indicated that implementing ormaturing their sustainability programs is not only a top priority,but has also increased in importanceover the past two years. Respondents found that embracing sustainability opportunities gave theirorganizations a competitive edge. More than 8 in 10 companies that recognize sustainability as animportant business priority report benefits in the form of improved brand reputation (89%),decreasedcosts (89%),improved customer acquisition and/or loyalty (86%),and revenue growth (83%). In fact,86 percent have a long-term goal for reducing carbon emissions by 2025 or earlier. By investing indecarbonization efforts,companies hope to attract customers who share similar environmental valueswhilealsoaddressingtheneeds ofinvestors.

Incrementalprogressdeliversexponentialresults

Companies at every maturity level report they have realized or expect to realize a variety of benefits,with 9 in 10 or more of sustainably engaged companies seeing benefits in the form of improvedefficiencies (96%),improved compliance (95%),improved employee recruitment and/or retention(90%),and reduced waste (90%). Companies are investing in people,process,and technologyimprovements because they understand that it takes a multi-faceted approach to achieve sustainabilityprogressandsuccess.

Achievingdecarbonization requiresa strategicplanandstrongleadership

Although organizations recognize the benefits of implementing sustainability practices,many companies don't know where to start in preparing for critical business transformations. The survey findings indicated more than half of respondents hope to reduce energy consumption in their buildings by 2024 or earlier,but lack alignment around what metrics need to be tracked and how. Only 26% of respondents had ESG reporting software to help measure their progress and nearly 40% of respondents believe their organizations have a shortage of internal expertise,preventing them from tracking their carbon footprints effectively. While the survey shows that the business advantages of environmental improvements may look different across companies,there is consistent importance placed on strong leadership and strong partners to guide smart decisions.

The Johnson Controls OpenBlue Net Zero Buildings as a Service Offeringis a reliable path forcompanies looking to achieve net zero carbon and renewable energy goals. The offering recognizescustomers' needs for making decarbonization and renewable energy goals easier to plan,execute,trackandachievewhileoptimizing buildingperformance.

"To lead in the race to decarbonization,companies must align priorities to the demands of manystakeholders,work with partners to develop transparent sustainability roadmaps,and identify metricsand adopt tools to measure progress," said Mark Reinbold,vice president of global sustainabilityservices & solutions at Johnson Controls. "More customers are looking for ways to make this processeasy,and are transferring their sustainability commitments and the risk to reach these targets toJohnson Controls. It helps them optimizing their building performance with technology that is capableof delivering significant energy savings and a corresponding drop in CO2 emissions,while alsoensuringthatoutcomes willhelptheplanet."

Johnson Controls has developed a holistic eight-step process to decarbonization. The journey startswith decarbonization advisory services and moves through assessment of digitally enabledenvironments,infrastructure efficiency,renewables and clean energy procurement,through tocertification and impact measurement. For operations and continuous improvement,the game-changing new OpenBlue Net Zero Advisor will deliver real-time,AI-driven tracking and reporting ofsustainability metrics,helping facility managers ensure and prove the net zero carbon reduction andrenewableenergyimpactoftheir buildings.

"2021 has been a critical year for climate change," said Johnson Controls Chief Sustainability OfficerMcGinty. "It's crucial for governments and the private sector to come together to drive meaningfulemissions reductions by the end of this decade to avoid the disastrous effects of climate change andseize the upside economic opportunities for all. The recent COP26 Climate Summit brought togetherworld leaders,academics,business executives and others. During the Summit Johnson Controlsclearly demonstrated that with innovative technology already existing today,we can put ourselves andothers solidly onthepathway tonetzerobefore2050."

To see the full Race to Decarbonization Survey results,please visit:https://www.johnsoncontrols.com/forresterstudy

TolearnmoreabouthowJohnsonControlsmakesnetzeroleadershipeasy,pleasevisit:https://www.johnsoncontrols.com/openblue/net-zero-buildings

AboutJohnsonControls

At Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI) we transform the environments where people live,work,learn and play. As the global leader in smart,our mission is to reimagine the performance of buildings to serve people,places and the planet.

With a history of more than 135 years of innovation,Johnson Controls delivers the blueprint of the future for industries such as healthcare,schools,data centers,airports,stadiums,manufacturing and beyond through its comprehensive digital offering,OpenBlue. With a global team of 100,000 experts in more than 150 countries,Johnson Controls offers the world's largest portfolio of building technology,software as well as service solutions with some of the most trusted names in the industry. For more information,visit www.johnsoncontrols.sgor follow us at Johnson Controls Asia Pacificon LinkedIn.